-- yours truly,Linda -----Inline Message Follows----- Hope this works.....forgive some of the "oops" in the text...it came to me that way....           Old  Age, I decided, is a gift.   I am now, probably for the first time in  my life,  the person I have alw ays wanted to be. Oh, not my body!  I sometime despair over my body, the wrinkles, the  baggy < SPAN style='FONT-SIZE: 24px'>eyes,  and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror,  but I don't agonize over those things for long. I would never trade my amazing friends, my  wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've  become more kind to myself, and less critical  of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide  myself for  eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for  buying < B>that  silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my  patio. I am entitled to a tr eat, to be messy, to be extravagant.   I have  seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before  they understood  the great freedom that comes with aging.   Whose business is it if I choose to read or  play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until  noon?  I will dance  with myself  to those wonderful tunes of the 60&70's, and if I, at  the same  time, wish to weep over a lost love . I will. I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is  stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with  abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set  . They, too, will get  old. I know I am  sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just  as well  forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things. Sure,  over the years my heart has been  broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers,  or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts  are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never  broken is pristine and sterile  and will never know the joy of being imperfect. I am so blessed to have  lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be  forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never  laughed, and so many have died before their  hair could turn silver. As you get older,  it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think I  don't question  myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong. So, to  answer your question, I like being old. It has set me  free. I  like the person I have become. I am not going to live  forever, but  while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what  could have  been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single  day. (If I feel like it)   MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP  NEVER COME APART ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM  THE HEART! MAY  YOU AL WAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR FACE AND  IN  YOUR  HEART FOREVER AND EVER! FRIENDS FOREVER! Forward this  to at  least 7 people and see what happens on your screen You will  laugh your  head off!!!!!!!!!                  ------ End of Forwarded Message ________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. ________________________________ Express yourself wherever you are. Mobilize! Hope this works.....forgive some of the "oops" in the text...it came to me that way....Bev           Old  Age, I decided, is a gift.   I am now, probably for the first time in  my life,  the person I have alw ays wanted to be. Oh, not my body!  I sometime despair over my body, the wrinkles, the  baggy < SPAN style='FONT-SIZE: 24px'>eyes,  and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror,  but I don't agonize over those things for long. I would never trade my amazing friends, my  wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've  become more kind to myself, and less critical  of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide  myself for  eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for  buying < B>that  silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my  patio. I am entitled to a tr eat, to be messy, to be extravagant.   I have  seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before  they understood  the great freedom that comes with aging.   Whose business is it if I choose to read or  play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until  noon?  I will dance  with myself  to those wonderful tunes of the 60&70's, and if I, at  the same  time, wish to weep over a lost love . I will. I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is  stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with  abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set  . They, too, will get  old. I know I am  sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just  as well  forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things. Sure,  over the years my heart has been  broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers,  or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts  are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never  broken is pristine and sterile  and will never know the joy of being imperfect. I am so blessed to have  lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be  forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never  laughed, and so many have died before their  hair could turn silver. As you get older,  it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think I  don't question  myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong. So, to  answer your question, I like being old. It has set me  free. I  like the person I have become. I am not going to live  forever, but  while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what  could have  been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single  day. (If I feel like it)   MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP  NEVER COME APART ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM  THE HEART! MAY  YOU AL WAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR FACE AND  IN  YOUR  HEART FOREVER AND EVER! FRIENDS FOREVER! Forward this  to at  least 7 people and see what happens on your screen You will  laugh your  head off!!!!!!!!!                  ------ End of Forwarded Message ________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. ________________________________ Express yourself wherever you are. Mobilize!